New Delhi:
A Delhi court on Saturday ordered the conditional release of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder, Abhijeet Dipke, a day after he was detained and then arrested as he planned to head to Connaught Place for a march as part of ongoing protests against alleged electoral fraud. He was ordered to provide a Rs 50,000 bond and declare he won't disrupt peace, it is learnt.
He came out of the Mandir Marg police station soon after the hearing before a magistrate.
In his first reaction after that, on X, Dipke shared a photo of Shah Rukh Khan's character in tears in the movie 'Veer-Zara' (2004) upon being released after 22 years in a Pakistani jail. He captioned it: "How it feels walking out of jail after 24 hours with no wifi and phone."
#WATCH | Delhi: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke arrives at the residence of NCP-SCP spokesperson Anish Gawande Dipke was released from Mandir Marg Police Station after he was granted bail https://t.co/HsGXDWRYhw
— ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2026
Besides Dipke, All India Students' Association (AISA) president Neha Bora was another prominent youth leader detained on Friday. Bora was released early Saturday morning, while Dipke was produced before a Special Executive Magistrate, Delhi Police said.
Separately, CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das are in judicial custody for trespass at Jantar Mantar as the site was denotified as a protest venue last week.
READ | 'Waving Tiranga Is No Crime': Opposition Rallies Behind Neha Bora, Abhijeet Dipke
Police said Neha Bora and Abhijeet Dipke were taken into preventive custody ahead of the 'Lehra Do Tiranga' protest march at Connaught Place, where the plan was to wave the Tricolour, the national flag, on Friday evening. Smaller marches were held nonetheless by students and others carrying the flag.
Neha Bora was released after completing formalities related to her detention under the Delhi Police Act, while Abhijeet Dipke was formally arrested in a fresh case for breach of peace under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, police said.
READ | YouTuber Dhruv Rathee Faces Bailable Warrants In 2018 Defamation Case
Earlier, when Dipke was detained from inside a flight at Delhi airport on October 10, a separate case for breach of peace had been registered. He was made to sign a bond undertaking not to disturb peace for one year.
Meanwhile, Neha Bora, after being released, slammed the Delhi Police and the BJP government at the Centre, calling the detentions illegal. She also demanded an end to the controversial Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls, and called for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and for him to be jailed.
READ | A Step Behind Neha Bora: What Rahul Gandhi's Gesture Says About Congress' Gen-Z Pitch
READ | "Hang Me": Abhijeet Dipke As Delhi Cops Land At His Home Ahead Of March
"I was detained at Mandi House and kept here (at the police station) the whole night, until 5 am. Why are you (police) carrying out these illegal detentions? These things have been happening in this country for a long time, and this protest movement has clearly shown that such detentions are taking place. It has brought these kinds of detentions to light. They claim that they adhere to law and order and go by the book, but none of that is happening," Bora told news agency PTI. The AISA president also demanded that all of the protesters who have been detained or arrested, including Dipke, be released immediately.
The EC has been saying all decisions were already okayed by the Supreme Court, while the BJP is calling the current wave of protests -- by the Opposition, the CJP, and student organisations -- "foreign-fundeD", and "attempts at spreading anarchy".
According to police, around 150 people had been detained to maintain law and order and ensure smooth traffic movement on Friday. Security personnel cordoned off Central Park in Connaught Place, with Rapid Action Force personnel deployed inside and additional forces stationed in the area.